3DEP in Wisconsin by the Numbers

Expected annual benefits $11.18 million 

Estimated total cost $18.71 million

Payback 1.7 years

Quality level 1 buy-up 

estimate

$11.91 million

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2013–3032

Ver. 1.1, June 2013

The 3D Elevation Program—Summary for Wisconsin

Introduction

Elevation data are essential to a 

broad range of applications, including 

forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national 

security, recreation, and many others. For 

the State of Wisconsin, elevation data 

are critical for agriculture and precision 

farming, natural resources conservation, 

flood risk management, infrastructure 

and construction management, water 

supply and quality, and other business 

uses. Today, high-quality light detection 

and ranging (lidar) data are the sources 

for creating elevation models and other 

elevation datasets. Federal, State, and 

local agencies work in partnership to (1) 

replace data, on a national basis, that are 

(on average) 30 years old and of lower 

quality and (2) provide coverage where 

publicly accessible data do not exist. A 

joint goal of State and Federal partners is 

to acquire consistent, statewide coverage 

to support existing and emerging applications enabled by lidar data. The new 

3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative 

(Snyder, 2012a,b), managed by the U.S. 

Geological Survey (USGS), responds to 

the growing need for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other 

three-dimensional representations of the 

Nation’s natural and constructed features. 

3D Elevation Program Benefits for 

Wisconsin

The top 10 Wisconsin business uses 

for 3D elevation data, which are based 

on the estimated annual benefits of the 

3DEP initiative, are shown in table 1. The 

National Enhanced Elevation Assessment 

(NEEA; Dewberry, 2011) survey 

respondents in the State of Wisconsin 

estimated that the national 3DEP initiative would result in at least $11 million 

in new benefits annually to the State. The 

cost for such a program in Wisconsin is 

approximately $19 million, resulting in a 

payback period of 1.7 years and a benefitto-cost ratio of 4.8 to 1 over an 8-year 

period. Because monetary estimates were 

not provided for all reported benefits, 

the total benefits of 3DEP to Wisconsin 

are likely much higher. On the basis of 

the NEEA survey results, all levels of 

government and many organizations in 

Wisconsin could benefit from access to 

statewide high-resolution elevation data.

The NEEA evaluated multiple data 

collection programs to determine the 

optimal data quality and data replacement 

cycle relative to cost to meet the stated 

needs. For Wisconsin, approximately 73 

percent of the total benefits are realized 

in agriculture and precision farming and 

natural resources conservation uses alone, 

as shown in table 1. The status of publicly available lidar data in Wisconsin is 

shown in figure 1. By enhancing coordination between the 3DEP and the various 

government and private organizations in 

Wisconsin, it may be possible to meet a 

higher percentage of the needs.

The following examples of how 

3DEP data can support business needs 

3D Elevation Program

3DEP is a national program managed by the USGS to acquire highresolution elevation data. The initiative is 

backed by a comprehensive assessment 

of requirements (Dewberry, 2011) and 

is in the early stages of implementation. 

3DEP will improve data accuracy and 

provide more current data than is available in the National Elevation Dataset 

(NED). The goal of this high-priority 

cooperative program is to be operational 

by January 2015 and to have complete 

coverage of the United States by 2022, 

depending on funding and partnerships. 

The new program has the potential to 

generate $13 billion/year in new benefits 

through improved government services, 

reductions in crop and homeowner losses 

resulting from floods, more efficient 

routing of vehicles, and a host of other 

government, corporate, and citizen 

activities (Dewberry, 2011). 

Benefits of a Funded National Program

• Economy of scale—Acquisition of 

data covering larger areas reduces 

costs by 25 percent

• A systematic plan—Acquisition of 

data at a higher quality level reduces 

the cost of “buying up” to the highest levels needed by State and local 

governments

• Higher quality data and national 

coverage—Ensure consistency 

for applications that span State 

and watershed boundaries and 

meet more needs, which results in 

increased benefits to citizens

• Increase in Federal agency contributions—Reduces State and local 

partner contributions

• Acquisition assistance—Provided 

through readily available contracts and published acquisition 

specifications

Figure 1. Map of Wisconsin showing 

the areal extent of planned and existing 

publicly available light detection and 

ranging (lidar) data and its quality relative 

to 3DEP requirements in November 2012, 

for the 27 business uses in the National 

Enhanced Elevation Assessment 

report (Dewberry, 2011). See table 2 for 

quality levels.

EXPLANATION

Meets requirements 

(quality levels 1 and 2)

Partially meets requirements

(quality levels 3 and 4)

No publicly available

lidar data 

0 60 Kilometers

0 40 Miles
Next Steps for Implementing 3DEP

Accomplishing the 3DEP initiative’s 

goal of national coverage in 8 years depends 

on the following factors:

• Increased partnerships among Federal, 

State, and local governments 

• Partnerships that acquire elevation data 

to the program’s specifications across 

larger project areas

• Increased communication about and 

awareness of the program’s benefits and 

goals

• Support from government and other

stakeholders and users

References Cited

Dewberry, 2011, Final report of the 

National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (revised 2012): Fairfax, Va., 

Dewberry, 84 p. plus appendixes, 

http://www.dewberry.com/Consultants/

GeospatialMapping/FinalReport-Natio

nalEnhancedElevationAssessment.

Snyder, G.I., 2012a, National Enhanced 

Elevation Assessment at a glance: 

U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 

2012–3088, 2 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/

fs/2012/3088/.

Snyder, G.I., 2012b, The 3D Elevation Program—Summary of program 

direction: U.S. Geological Survey Fact 

Sheet 2012–3089, 2 p., http://pubs.

usgs.gov/fs/2012/3089/.

in Wisconsin are based on the NEEA 

interviews and surveys: (1) Approximately 45 percent of the land area of 

Wisconsin is devoted to agricultural uses. 

Enhanced elevation data could dramatically improve precision farming (fig. 2). 

A more accurate depiction of the terrain 

could help determine a more precise 

application of agricultural chemicals, 

thereby likely yielding significant cost 

savings and a reduction in agricultural 

pollution. (2) Enhanced elevation data 

could enable State, regional, and local 

governments to more effectively implement natural resources conservation 

practices while providing additional cost 

savings to the public. If lidar data were 

available nationally, public and private 

organizations would expand their use of 

lidar for planning and site-level engineering to reduce field work for conservation projects such as grade stabilization, 

ponds, grassed waterways, pipelines, 

terracing, and wetland restoration.

By William J. Carswell, Jr.

For Further Information:

Mark DeMulder, Chief, National 

Geospatial Program

U.S. Geological Survey

511 National Center

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive

Reston, VA 20192

Email: mdemulder@usgs.gov

Ron Wencl, USGS Geospatial Liaison

U.S. Geological Survey

2280 Woodale Drive

Mounds View, MN 55112

Email: rwencl@usgs.gov

http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/

3D Elevation Program—Continued

The USGS and its partners will acquire 

high- to medium-quality (table 2) threedimensional lidar data over the conterminous 

United States, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories. 

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (ifsar) 

data are being collected at quality level 5 

(table 2) in Alaska. The data will be acquired 

over an 8-year period and will be made available to the public. A number of high-quality 

elevation-data products will be created to 

serve a wide range of business needs in government and the private sector.

Figure 2. Enhanced elevation data 

aids precision farming, which improves 

crop yields, prevents soil degradation, 

minimizes groundwater usage, and helps 

farmers realize a larger return on their 

investments. Photograph courtesy of 

U.S. Department of Agriculture—Natural 

Resources Conservation Service.

Table 1. Conservative benefits for the top 10 business uses of the proposed 3DEP 

data identified in the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment for Wisconsin 

(Dewberry, 2011).

Rank Business use Annual benefits

(millions)

1 Agriculture and precision farming $5.82 

2 Natural resources conservation 2.41 

3 Flood risk management 1.08 

4 Infrastructure and construction management 0.51 

5 Water supply and quality 0.47 

6 Forest resources management 0.31

7 Coastal zone management 0.24

8 Geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation 0.15 

9 Aviation navigation and safety 0.12

10 Renewable energy resources 0.03

Other 0.04

Total 11.18

Table 2. Data quality levels used in the 

National Enhanced Elevation Assessment.

[≤, less than or equal to]

Quality 

level

Nominal pulse 

spacing

(meters)

Vertical 

accuracy 

(centimeters)

1 0.35 9.25

2 0.7 9.25

3 1–2 ≤18.5

4 5 46–139

5 5 93–185